News about our Medical Director, Dr. Daniel Bluestein

Bluestein Named Top Doc!

By Jan Warren

            Dr. Daniel A. Bluestein, medical director at Westminster Canterbury, has been named one of America's Top Docs by U.S. News and World Report.

Recommendations for the honor come from peer physicians and then are reviewed by physician-led teams at Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., publisher of the guide "America's Top Doctors." Only those who meet the selection criteria make the list of physicians ranked in the top 10% of their specialties.

Sixty-seven physicians associated with EVMS share the honor with Dr. Bluestein, who is also Medical Director of the Geriatrics Division of the Department of Family and Community Medicine.

Dr. Bluestein has been at Westminster-Canterbury since 2002 and said “The award is fun but should not be taken too seriously. I never would have been considered for it if not for the support of my colleagues at EVMS and the second-to-none staff and healthcare team here at WC.”

He acknowledges that "geriatrics isn't the most sought after specialty" and considers it part of his job to encourage medical students and other physicians and health professionals to develop competence and enthusiasm for the treatment of older adults.

When EVMS students come to the WC clinic for training, he says it serves as a catalyst in developing their interest in geriatrics.

''The vitality of this community breaks down some of the old stereotypes of traditional retirement facilities."

He hopes, in the future, that the Westminster-Canterbury clinic can be more active as a train­ the- trainer facility through both EVMS and The Virginian Geriatric Education Center, a five-year funded initiative (now refunded for its second five years) that provides geriatric training for health professionals state-wide.

Dr. Bluestein is a native of Palmer, Massachusetts. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago and the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He completed his residency in Family Medicine at the University of Maryland Hospital and his fellowship at the University of Iowa In 1992.  Influenced by his involvement in the care of his own aging parents, he made what he describes as "a classic mid- career transition" and decided to get his board certification in Geriatrics.